


You Rise, You Fall

by Aurealis



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fainting, Gen, High School, Hurt Peter, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-06 01:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16378697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurealis/pseuds/Aurealis
Summary: Peter gives his school a speech about an internship project





	You Rise, You Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I am pretty much dying with my Master's work, or pro gradu as we call it. I am never going to be a researcher, that much is certain.   
> There can never be too many sick Peter fic.

“What if I screw up?”

 

Tony shook his head as he adjusted the boy’s collar: “Then you screw up but live through it.”

 

“Mr Stark!” Peter whined. He was expecting encouragement, not timeworn phrases you found in motivational posters.

 

“Kid, you’ll be fine,” The man gripped his mentee's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. Peter turned his attention to the auditorium, where he was to hold a presentation about his internship. The school had been thrilled when Peter’s name had been attached to the latest Stark Industries project (solar powered power bank) and had given the boy extra credit, a certificate and a chance to tell his fellow students all about invention. 

 

It was most likely a bad time to bring up that he had stage fright. 

 

“Peter, I know you are nervous and that is alright. Everyone gets nervous. If you are not feeling butterflies in your stomach,” Tony poked at Peter’s diaphragm and the boy bit down a smile ,”you are most likely doing a terrible job. Trust me on that one.”

 

The people were talking as they waited for the headmaster to stop talking about manners and the principles of Midtown Tech.

 

“The last time I was on stage was when I was like ten. It was a school play, and I had no speaking lines.”

 

“Really?” Tony raised an eyebrow and Peter regretted sharing the information. There was no doubt Tony would go to May and ask for photos.

 

“No, but seriously, kid, you can’t do any worse than I did during my first Stark Industries presentation.”

 

“I doubt it,” Peter shook his head and his hands started sweating. The papers in his hands were turning wrinkled.

 

“Honestly, you will do much better than I did.”

 

Peter heard his name called. The audience erupted into polite applause. Tony clapped his back.

 

“Break a leg- not literally but- you know what I mean. I’ll be in the back, just keep your eyes on me if you get nervous, okay?”

 

The boy gave a nervous nod and walked to the podium. The power point presentation was on (he had done it with his mentor and Rhodey). Peter adjusted the mic for a second, long enough for Tony to find his seat and take a comfortable position. Eyes were starting to wander from the front to the back.

 

“H-hello, my name is Peter P-Parker and- you know that already, right, it- it’s repetitive, sorry.”

 

Some snickered. Peter expected Ned and Tony to facepalm but his friend was smiling in awe and the man mouthed ‘breathe’ and gave thumbs up. 

 

He had practiced the speech dozens of times, he knew all the words, the facts, the numbers but- he did not know how to tell them. 

 

Why didn’t his school teach anything important, like how not to toss your cookies in the stage?

 

“First, a little back story: I came up with this idea last summer. I was swimming in Mr Stark's pool and my phone was resting on the table-“

 

Tony had told the best presentations took the audience on a journey. Sure, you could just talk figures but it was proven that the best way to memorize was if there was an outline, be it visual or auditory. So, Peter told of the day when his phone had been so hot he had needed to bathe it in ice. 

 

From that point on, Peter did well. He did not enjoy being on the stage but he did not hate it as much as before. He was sweating a ton under the lights and his stutter was sometimes very obvious but he did not let it discourage him. Sometimes he forgot which part he was on but a deep breath and a glance at the slides guided him back on track.

 

At one point, he almost threw up. Ned later told his face turned ghostly pale and Peter had been certain for about two seconds that he would empty his stomach where he stood. 

 

But the feeling left as soon as it came and the rest went nice.

 

“Any questions?”

 

Especially seniors were very interested in the concept, asking questions Peter enjoyed answering. Some were so precise Tony had to step in and give further information, especially about the financing portion.

 

“So, this was the presentation. Thank you for your time,” Peter said and gave a bow. The audience clapped wildly and some cheered like he was a hero. But to them, he sort of was- age 16 and already making a name in his future field of science.

 

“Thank you, Peter, that was very enlightening,” The principal gave a genuine smile and Peter started walking off. He got about three steps when suddenly he slumped and fell off the stage. Some students screamed in shock.

 

“Oh shit,” Tony breathed out and ran to the front of the hall. “Peter!”

 

The boy was lying on his stomach and people were starting to gather around them. Tony had to force his way forward and immediately dropped onto his knees.

 

“Kid,” He shook Peter’s shoulder, the small body was limp and dead weight. “Kid, can you open your eyes for me?”

 

The man checked breathing, pulse and temperature- all proved to be normal and his mind came up with only one diagnosis, one he had witnessed numerous time before.

 

“It’s okay, he just fainted,” Tony told the principal who knelt by Peter’s head. The word got around and Tony heard some people start snickering, either as an after-effect of shock or because they thought the situation was funny. 

 

“Are you sure?” The principal asked as Tony turned the boy onto his back and slapped his face repeatedly.

 

“Yes, he must have eaten poorly,” the man told as Peter’s eyelids started fluttering. “This happens sometimes.”

 

With an enhanced metabolism, head rushes and dizzy spells were a norm for Peter, except normally he did not drop 5 feet into wooden floor with nobody to catch him. 

 

Peter gave a soft groan as he was lifted into a sitting position and then into Tony’s arms.

 

“Is there a place he can rest for a while, prop his legs up perhaps?”

 

 

“You were amazing, Peter, how you answered those questions, you were practically a professional!” Ned gushed about the act, Tony had not even tried to keep him out of the teacher’s lounge. “Except for the end, I mean-“

 

“Okay, here we go,” Tony opened a juice box that school nurse had brought him along with a sandwich, a little back of chips and a candy bar. “Small sips.”

 

Peter took the straw between his lips and drank the apple juice; it was too sugary for his taste. His feet were propped up on several pillows and one rested underneath his neck. 

 

Tony was crouched next to him by the couch.

 

“Not too much,” The man moved the juice away. “Let’s see how that settles for a minute, okay? Then some chips, maybe?”

 

“Sounds good,” Peter’s voice was still shaky and his hand trembled from both the after effects of fainting and low blood sugar.

 

“That was so embarrassing,” He covered his face with his hands. For the first time in his life, he was seriously considering moving countries.

 

“None of that,” Tony gave his shoulder a pat. “It happens to the best of us.”

 

“It was not fun.”

 

“I bet,” The man nodded. 

 

“You know,” Ned started as Tony moved the bucket a bit further away when it became clear his protégé was not in the danger of vomiting ,”you’re lucky you fainted before falling because if your muscles had been rigid-“

 

“Ned,” Peter groaned in humiliation. “Please, forget this ever happened.”

 

“How could I forget? Why would you forget about this?”

 

“Because I fainted in front of the entire school,” The brunet stated with a murderous glare.

 

“Yes, but the entire school saw Tony Stark fanning air into your face!”

 

Peter turned his face to Tony who was opening the chocolate bar.

 

“No,” Peter said gravely, begging his mentor that it was not true, that Ned was pulling his leg but Tony grimaced.

 

“Yeah, we had an entourage, took me a while to make them leave.”

 

The small boy groaned loud and felt like crying.

 

“Had to threaten them with my thrusters, I never knew high school kids were practically suicidal. Here.”

 

A piece of milk chocolate was dropped into Peter’s hand but the boy made no move to eat it.

 

“You feel sick?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Gonna throw up?”

 

“Maybe, why not set up camera and send it to the television. Why not make this Big Brother style?”

 

“Peter,” Tony’s voice was full of reprehension. Peter hated that tone and the face Tony made. The man was strict, yes, but he always disguised it with gentleness and sassy quips. 

The tone made him feel shame and he put the candy into his mouth. It was good but dried his mouth.

 

“Can I have more juice?”

 

Tony’s expression melted into fondness at the unsure question. 

 

“Of course,” He helped Peter raise his head and take another sip.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are given a loving home!


End file.
